Research & Practice
Promoting Nutritious School Meals through Visual Menus and Nutrition Education Posters
One in five U.S. children lives in a household with food insecurity, making school meals the primary source of nutrition for many. Research highlights the importance of breakfast and lunch for student focus and success. Highline School District offers free meals to all of its students. They aim to make meals accessible for all students, alleviating stress about food so they can focus on academics. Other barriers, such as short lunch breaks and language barriers, also exist and can serve as obstacles to accessing these meals. Through partnering with Highline’s Nutrition Services, the goal of this project was to help mitigate any additional barriers to students accessing meals by updating meal signage and nutrition education posters.
The main deliverables were a needs assessment, updated menu signage, and two nutrition education posters. Conducting the needs assessment involved creating a survey sent to students and teachers, which provided valuable insights into opinions on current meals and meal signage. Time was spent at the schools to gain a better understanding of lunchtime dynamics and the existing signage and education. Photos taken of school meals were used in the updated signs for breakfast and lunch. Educational posters were also created: one displaying the USDA requirements for each meal and the other illustrating what ½-cup servings of fruits and vegetables in the school’s salad bar look like. The signs and posters will be utilized across the district. Production records track the amount of leftovers for each school. The impact of the updated signage and nutrition education can be examined through the continual assessment of production records and the utilization of the student survey.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): MPH Practicum, PH Concentration Poster
Author(s): Laura Henson
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2024
Adviser(s):